Transitional Federal Government

The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) was the internationally recognized government of Somalia that existed frorm 6 April 2004 to 20 August 2012. The TFG was established with Mogadishu as its capital, and it consisted of the executive branch, and the Transitional Federal Parliament. The TFG supported the use of sharia law, primarily in deciding issues related to marriage, divorce, inheritance and civil issues. It also supported an independent judiciary, a three-tier judicial system (consisting of a Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and Court of First Instance), and the restoration of the laws passed by the pre-Siad Barre civilian government of the 1960s. Backed by the United Nations, the African Union, and the United States, the TFG battled al-Shabaab insurgents to assume full control of the southern part of the country, securing control over all of Mogadishu in August 2011. In 2012, the transitional government was replaced by the centralized Federal Government.